


If it Ain't Broke

by Xedra



Category: Gravitation
Genre: Fluff and Angst, I promise a happy ending, M/M, Yuki is a bastard, but we love him anyway, do not copy to another site
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2020-11-28 10:26:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20965019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xedra/pseuds/Xedra
Summary: Something breaks. More than one thing is mended.





	1. Something Breaks

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this fic has been a WIP on FFnet for quite a while... but I'm putting it here as well cuz I absolutely plan to finish it. Enjoy!

Shuichi gingerly touched the bump on his head as he ate his cereal. Rolling out of bed head-first was not the best way to wake up in the morning. Yuki was really nice about letting him sleep in his bed most days, sometimes granting a cuddle now and then when his writing was going particularly well, but Shuichi had been so tired when he finally returned from the studio last night he'd fallen asleep while working on a new song.

K-san had become more trigger-happy than usual lately, keeping the band late at the studio almost every night and demanding more songs from Shuichi. The American was so determined that Bad Luck not fall victim to the Sophomore Jinx that he was working them to the point of exhaustion. Shuichi had barely gotten any lyrics written down before he was sacked out and snoring.

The singer rubbed his bleary eyes and slurped down the remaining milk in his bowl. K-san expected him at the studio early and Yuki had a big book signing today, so they were both short on time this morning. Yuki was in the shower, so Shuichi decided to surprise his lover by making his coffee for him. Since Yuki liked it black, it was a simple thing for Shuichi to prepare and when it was ready he carefully carried the hot mug to the bathroom door and waited. The tune to his new song played in his head and made him smile, eager to play it for Fujisaki later so the young keyboardist could work his magic on the arrangement.

Shuichi sighed. Anything to keep the kid occupied and off his back for a while. He couldn't help it if thinking about Yuki distracted him from his music sometimes. Well, a lot of the time. Okay, okay, most of the time. Yuki and Music were two passions in his life that he could not keep separate, because they fueled each other. His relationship with Yuki, the highs and lows of it, inspired the songs he wrote and singing them, being able to pour all of himself into the words, to express the love, the frustration, the sadness, the joy, the big everything that he felt for Yuki, only served to strengthen the bond he felt with his lover. But Fujisaki couldn't seem to understand that. Shuichi sighed again. Fujisaki was way too young to be so uptight. The boy practically lived at the studio and probably slept with his keyboard. Shuichi smirked. He and Hiro really needed to find the Old Fart a girlfriend. Or a boyfriend. Whatever.

His fingers tapped the tune against the mug as he listened to the shower spray and Yuki's movements under it. He smiled and allowed his mind's eye to see the water sluicing over his lover's body, remembered how wonderful it felt to slide against that slick skin, to grip fistfuls of wet blonde hair and pull it toward him for a hot, deep kiss under the spray, doing more to fog up glass stall than the temperature of the water.

With his mind occupied by lustful thoughts, he didn't notice the sound of the shower cutting off or Yuki opening the door. Yuki, with one towel around his hips and a smaller one drying his wet hair, certainly didn't expect anyone to be standing right outside the bathroom door, so the collision was imminent. Steaming hot coffee spilled over Shuichi's hands and Yuki's legs and the mug shattered on the hardwood floor. Yuki hissed painfully, swearing roundly at Shuichi. What the hell was he thinking standing there like that? Shuichi ignored his burning hands and grabbed the small, wet towel Yuki had dropped. He dropped to his knees amongst the ceramic shards and tried to wipe at the older man's legs, apologizing over and over, but Yuki growled and kicked the boy off of him. Shuichi scrambled to his feet and had the bathroom door slammed in his face. He flinched as Yuki blistered the air with more swearing and water blasted from the sink.

Shuichi stepped back and almost slipped on a ceramic shard. He sighed and knelt back down to clean up the mess he caused. Tossing out the stained towel along with the broken pieces of Yuki's mug... Uh Oh... Yuki's favorite mug... the mug Yuki always used during the last critical chapters of every book he ever wrote... the mug he'd been warned repeatedly to never touch... Shuichi fell back against the nearest wall and banged his head on it. Right on the bump he'd gotten earlier. He hissed and clamped both hands over the back of his head, cursing himself thoroughly.

Shuichi heard the bedroom door slam. Yuki was always a grouch when he first woke up, and having the coffee that helped to bring around his human side poured on him instead in him made Shuichi was very hesitant to go anywhere near him. He was tempted to just skip out and run to the studio in his old, rumpled clothes, but his notebook with his new lyrics was in that bedroom and K-san would shoot him if he came to work without them. K-san would shoot him if he showed up late, too, so he really couldn't wait for Yuki to finish dressing. He took a deep breath, turned the knob and poked his head in.

Yuki stood barefoot in his dark suit pants, buttoning up a red silk shirt. His reflection in the mirror glared at Shuichi as he reached for a tie. Shuichi gulped and slipped quietly into the room toward the far side of the bed where his notebook had been kicked to the floor during the night. He bent to pick it up. He watched the novelist's long, elegant fingers jerk the tie into knot and sighed.

"Yuki, I'm sor-"

"Save it, Brat. I don't have time for this. Mizuki bitched so much to get me to agree to this damn signing, the last thing I need is for her to bitch at me for being late, too."

Shuichi hung his head and sighed, berating himself silently for souring his lover's mood. He mumbled a "see you later" and shuffled back out of the bedroom. He eyed the trash can in the kitchen and winced. Yuki would hit the roof when he found out about his mug. Well, no, Shuichi frowned. Yuki wasn't one for big, heated displays of emotion. No, with Yuki it would be pure ice. Shuichi knew he'd get nothing but freezing looks and cold silence until his lover decided to forgive him.

Unless he could keep Yuki from finding out. Surely he hadn't noticed which mug Shuichi was holding since he was busy being scalded. Shuichi bit at his bottom lip for a moment before he snapped his fingers, his eyes gleaming with an idea. He zipped over to the trash can and carefully lifted the wet, coffee-stained towel out. The ceramic fragments were bundled inside, so he clutched it in his fist and took it with him as he left.


	2. Something Starts

Once at N-G Studios, Shuichi zipped past the rehearsal room before his bandmates, and especially K-san, noticed him. He found Sakano's office and quickly held his finger to his lips for silence before Kimura Hikari, Sakano's young and very efficient secretary, could give him a cheerful greeting. Surprised, she pressed her own finger to her lips as well, and nodded, happy to oblige the singer.

Shuichi dove down around to the side of her desk, where he'd be hidden from view, then peeked over the top at her. Hikari was quite pretty with long, dark hair that she always kept clipped smoothly away from her face and had bright hazel eyes that sparkled when she smiled. Shuichi never had to worry about any kind of fan-girly, obsessive behavior from her because, for reasons Shuichi could never understand, Hikari had stars in her eyes only for Sakano-san. She admired Bad Luck's producer immensely and was devoted to him in much the same way that Sakano-san was to the president of the company. She and Shuichi had quickly become friends, and knew he could trust her with such an important task.

"Hikari-chan," his voice was so soft a whisper; she had to lean down with her forehead almost to the desk to hear him. "Is Sakano-san in there?"

Hikari grinned down at him, wondering if Shindo-san was playing another game with Sakuma-san today. Maybe they were playing hide-and-seek again and the vocalist wanted to use the producer's office. She leaned in closer and shook her head, whispering around her finger, "No, he's up in a meeting with Seguchi-san right now."

Relieved, Shuichi immediately popped back up, but kept his voice to a whisper. "Hikari-chan, I have a very important mission for you."

Hikari saw the urgent gleam in his eyes and snapped to attention. "Of course, Shindo-san! How can I help you?"

Shuichi thrust the wet towel forward, and Hikari jerked back. She eyed the towel warily - it reeked of coffee - and then quickly shuffled the papers off her desk and out of danger. She winced slightly as he set the bundle down on the desk with a clinky plop. When he opened it, she looked at the broken mug pieces with curiosity.

"Hikari-chan, this is extremely important. This is Yuki's favorite mug." He nodded sadly at her gasp. Hikari, like everyone else, understood his relationship with the novelist. He ran a finger over the curve of the mug handle, which had managed to stay intact. "I need you to find another one. An exact copy. And I need it today. It must be today!"

Hikari poked through the shards and carefully picked up the largest piece. The mug had been glazed a dark blue with some sort of design in gold on it. Her brow furrowed slightly as she separated the pieces, turning this one and that one over, like with a puzzle, so she could better make out the design. Ah. A stylized koi fish, one that would wrap around the entire mug. She grabbed a small notebook and made a quick note of that, as well as many other observations, such as the size of the mug, the thickness of the ceramic, the quality of the glaze, and so on. She fit the pieces of what had been the bottom of the mug together so she could read any manufacturer's markings and noted those, as well.

She nodded smartly to Shuichi. "I will do my best, Shindo-san. Would you mind leaving the pieces with me? I may need to refer back to them in my search."

Relief poured through Shuichi like water, making his legs wobble. "Hai, Hikari-chan! Anything you need! Thank you! Oh you are saving my life, thank you, thank you!"

Hikari squeaked as she received a massive glomp from the singer. As he zipped away, she chuckled softly and shook her head at him, then reached for the phone to begin her search.

Shuichi practically floated back to the rehearsal room, his mind at ease now with Hikari-chan on the job. His new tune drifted back into his head and he bopped along to it on his way down the hall, humming the precious few lyrics he'd managed to write down.

The various musicians and business professionals smiled at him with admiration and indulgence, respectively, as they passed by, or rather walked around him since he was so lost in his music he would've ran right into them. His steps naturally slowed as he reached the studio where Bad Luck was practicing, but he took one step into the room and stopped cold.

Hiro had heard his best friend's voice coming from down the hall and when it stopped suddenly at the door he looked up from his guitar. Shuichi stood there, his eyes wider than usual, looking as if he'd been struck by lightning. He was about to ask what was wrong, when Shuichi began digging through jacket pockets, whipped out a battered notebook and marker and plopped right down in the doorway, scribbling furiously on the paper. Hiro laughed quietly and returned his attention to his guitar. His friend had been struck all right. By inspiration.

Fujisaki almost tripped over the singer as he walked through the door. His arms pinwheeled for a moment to regain his balance and he clutched the door jamb to keep from toppling over.

"Shindo-san," he sighed in exasperation at the hunched-over figure on the floor. "Could you not play games right now? We have a lot of work to do today."

Hiro shook his head and waved a hand for Fujisaki to just walk around him. "He is working, Fujisaki-kun."

The keyboardist rolled his eyes and gingerly stepped around Shuichi, grumbling under his breath all the way across the room to his instrument.

Over two hours later, it was the sound of a magnum cocking into place and pressing against the back of his head that snapped Shuichi from his inspiration-induced haze. He shut his eyes tight and quickly waved his notebook in the air. "Don't shoot, K-san! I have the song right here!"

The notebook was taken from his hand, but the gun remained as the manager tried to decipher the scribbled, crossed-out, re-written, barely-legible kanji that exploded all over the page. K grunted, unsatisfied, and pressed the gun harder. "And the music?"

A strong, upbeat guitar riff suddenly filled the air, followed quickly by harmonious swells from the keyboard, blending in cool waves of sound that tied together with a fresh, funky beat. Hiro and Fujisaki grinned at each other as Shuichi and K both blinked in amazement.

K gave a full-bellied laugh as he un-cocked his magnum and holstered it, then grabbed Shuichi in a hug that threatened to break a few ribs. "Wonderful! Take five and we'll start on your vocals next, Shindo-kun!" He shoved the notebook back at Shuichi and gave him a hearty pat on the back that sent the singer tumbling through the room and turned to whistle his way down the hall.

Shuichi unwrapped himself from the mike stand he'd crashed into and turned to Hiro. "How did you know?"

Hiro shrugged, still grinning. "You've been humming the same tune over and over for the last two hours, Shuichi. We just played around with it for a while we waited for you to finish."

He took the notebook and glanced at the lyrics. Familiar with way Shuichi's mind worked, he was able to follow the flow of words as they ran around the page. A love song, of course, Shuichi rarely wrote any other kind, but this one would have a fun twist to it, especially when sung to the upbeat tune they had just created. A song about being a fool in love, doing stupid things that make your lover crazy, love making all things better in the end… on and on it went. Only Shuichi with his dynamic, outrageous personality could pull off such a frenzied tangle of words and emotions.

Hiro tilted his head at Shuichi in curiosity, knowing that his best friend never wrote anything that didn't have some deeper meaning. "Tell me about this."

Shuichi rolled his eyes, sank into a nearby chair, and told him about his morning.


	3. Someone Frowns

Yuki slammed the door as he entered the apartment, paused only long enough to slip off his shoes before striding to the refrigerator, yanking it open and grabbing a beer. He stood there with the door open, guzzling the liquor in fast gulps until it was empty, and then tossed the can onto the counter and quickly grabbed another.

He grabbed the rest of the six-pack with his free hand before kicking the door shut with his heel. He drained his second beer on the way to the couch, dropped the empty can on the coffee table and collapsed into the cushions. He turned his body so he could stretch out his legs, and settled the cold cans on the floor while he fished his cigarettes and lighter from his pocket. Quickly lighting one, he took a long, deep drag, exhaled slowly and covered his eyes with one arm.

It would be a cold day in hell before he agreed to do another signing for Mizuki.

He could have sworn there were over a thousand squealing, swooning, drooling, panting, utterly irritating romance novel fangirls and their mothers and their grandmothers crammed into that tiny bookstore. All of them batting their eyelashes, contorting their faces into what he supposed were meant to be flirty or mysterious or maybe even inviting expressions, but only came across as ridiculous to him. Their mixed perfumes stifling the air until he thought he'd suffocate. And the giggling, oh Kami-sama, the giggling never stopped.

Thankfully, he could satisfy the masses with just a ghost of a fake smile and a slight brush of the fingers as they received their autographed book. He was all that was polite to everyone he met, graciously accepting praise of his work and fielding both the shy and blatant queries into his personal life. That got tiresome after about five minutes, but he played his part for hours on end and managed, just barely, not to strangle Mizuki when she mentioned his looming deadline for the 53rd time.

Yuki sighed and took another long drag on his cigarette. The only bright spot in his day was that the Brat managed to remember he'd be busy today and didn't call him every other minute like he usually did, pestering him about whether he'd eaten anything, relating the latest stunt that Sakuma and his creepy rabbit pulled or how many people that insane American had shot and, of course, to profess his undying love with every other breath.

Yuki frowned and dug his cell out of his pocket. No, his Brat still hadn't called. He shoved the phone back into his pocket. Well, good. That was good. If his luck held out, maybe he'd get a few hours of peace to write before The Pink Menace came home and blew his concentration all to hell. Yuki rubbed his stomach as it growled in protest over missing lunch and gulped down the last of his third beer.

With all the frustration he needed to vent, deciding on which method of suicide his latest tragic heroine would off herself with meant he'd be up late writing and that meant coffee. Lots of coffee.


	4. Someone Blushes

Shuichi paced back and forth in the studio breakroom. After several takes, they'd finally gotten the vocals finished on the new song and broke for lunch but Shuichi couldn't eat anything. He reached for his cell to call Yuki then put it away.

No, not yet. He didn't know how long the signing would last but surely they would take a break for lunch. Mizuki would make sure Yuki ate something, wouldn't she? He reached for his cell again, flipped it open, then shut it and put it away. No, no, he couldn't call yet. He wanted to hear Yuki's voice. Okay, so he got mostly grunts and very few words from the taciturn novelist, but they were still Yuki-sounds and thus the very smoothest, richest, purest music to his ears.

Those ears were tuned into every note that issued from Yuki's throat, which usually told him all he needed to know of his lover's current mood. If Shuichi called, he'd know in a second if Yuki knew and just exactly how angry he was about it. The guilt would sit like a rock in his belly all day and he'd probably have to make plans to stay with Hiro tonight.

Shuichi took his cell out again and gently traced a finger over the purikura sticker on the cover, same as the one Yuki still had on his lighter. He sighed. If he called and Yuki thought he sounded weird, then Yuki would ask why and he couldn't tell him why and he was never any good at lying, especially to Yuki.

"Shindo-san?"

Shuichi whirled around to see Hikari standing just inside the doorway, her arms wrapped around a thick leather folder, her expression pinched and reserved. Shuichi felt his stomach sink way down into his shoes. "You couldn't find it, Hikari-chan?"

Hikari sighed and went over to him. "I did find it, Shindo-san. I researched the manufacturer's markings and found the mug came from the Atsui Company. They specialize in custom products made from the finest materials, such as ceramic, glass, and precious metals. High quality and extremely expensive."

Shuichi shook his head emphatically, "I don't care what it costs, Hikari-chan! I'll pay anything! Please, I just need—"

"Shindo-san!" Hikari's sharp tone cut him off and made him blink in shock; he'd never heard her speak to him, or anyone, that way before. Hikari smiled gently to soften the effect and calm the singer before he became upset and lightly touched his elbow. "Shindo-san, let me finish, please." She waited until he smiled sheepishly and nodded.

"I spoke to the president of the Atsui Company and he informed me that although the company produces several lines of products that they manufacture for high-end stores; dinnerware, glassware, some crystal, as well as fine silver products for engraving, things of that nature – they also commission professional artisans to create custom items for clients on a private, individual basis."

She paused to let the singer absorb that information. Shuichi chewed his lower lip for a long moment, tugging at the collar of his t-shirt.

He peeked up at her though his bangs. "The mug was a gift? A special gift?"

Hikari nodded, but before she could continue they were distracted by Sakano bursting into the room at a run and skidding to a halt in front of them.

"Kimura-san, there you are!" Sakano pulled at his hair and practically danced around in stressful agitation. "This is bad, Kimura-san. Very bad! Seguchi-san requested the proposal contracts for the Kaname duo and I cannot find the file. I have looked everywhere and I only have a few minutes before I must get back to him. If I am late it will reflect terribly on me and then Seguchi-san will question my abilities as a producer and no doubt lose confidence in me, think me unworthy of my responsibilities and have no choice but to fire me." Sakano wrung his hands tightly as he sweatdropped and his nose began to bleed, "I cannot imagine what happened to the file. Please tell me you have seen it, Kimura-san. I thought I had left it—"

"On your desk, yes." Hikari smiled brightly and nodded. "I noticed a slight error in the terminology of Section A on the first contract, so I took the liberty of having the Legal department draw up a new one." She opened her thick leather folder and produced a smaller manila folder containing said contract. She put it in his hand as he blinked at her, then took a handkerchief from her pocket, put it in his other hand and brought it up to his nose to staunch the bleeding. "Hold your head back please, Sakano-san."

Sakano sagged with relief into a nearby chair. He tilted his head back and pressed the soft linen firmly to his nose and sighed, "Ah, Kimura-san, what would I do without you?"

Hikari smiled brightly, her eyes glowing as she squeezed the folder in a hug before tucking it under her arm. She recovered quickly, her expression smoothing to warm politeness as she tilted her head at a charming angle, seeming to seriously consider his question. "You would never be on time, your files would be in chaos… and your tie would never be straight." With quick movements, she tugged at the silk tie that had come half-undone from Sakano's exertions and nodded smartly when it was neat again.

Sakano smiled, amused at the comment, then blinked, gulped, sprang up from the chair, wiped his nose and pushed his glasses further up on his suddenly very red face. He gave a quick bow to her. "Yes, of course, Kimura-san. Thank you for your attention. To the contracts!" Sakano clarified loudly and cleared his throat, backing away, bowing several more times. "The contracts, yes. Very good work, Kimura-san." He backed all the way into the wall behind him, sidestepped to the doorway and hurried away.

Hikari stood there, not smiling exactly, but with an airy expression that was both pleased and dreamy. Shuichi grinned and tugged at her sleeve and rolled his eyes when she responded with a vague "Hmm?"

"Hikari-chan!" Shuichi said sharply and pressed his lips together hard to keep from laughing when she jumped and whirled her head toward him, but he couldn't hold back a giggle.

She blushed and cleared her throat loudly. "Ah, yes. Well. Shindo-san, um…"

"The mug was a gift?" Shuichi prompted her with a smile.

Hikari straightened and nodded her tone and eyes solemn. "Yes, it was. The only reason I was able to get this information is because I mentioned I was calling from NG Studios. The commission list is usually kept strictly confidential, but the president remembered the mug because he handled the order personally two years ago as a favor for—"

"Seguchi-san," Shuichi whispered.

Hikari nodded. "I asked if it would be possible for him to duplicate the order and he was very obliging. He assures that he will contact the artisan personally and oversee all the arrangements of production and will deliver it himself… in two days."

Shuichi's jaw dropped. "Two days?" He stared at her in shock, then hung his head, defeated. "Impossible. If it's not today, then Yuki will know. If he knows, then…" He shook his head sadly and dropped heavily down into the chair Sakano had vacated.

"What is this?" a bright voice called from the doorway. "Why is our Shuichi so sad?"

Ryuichi bounced into the breakroom with Kumagoro flopping happily on his head.


	5. Someone Plans

Yuki put a kettle of water on to boil for his coffee and felt his stomach rumble again in protest from missing lunch. He pressed a hand to it and opened a drawer containing dozens of restaurant menus. He chose one at random, scanned it, and then dialed the phone, giving his order in fluent Italian.

He reached up toward the cabinet that held the glasses and mugs and winced, his arm stiff from all the signing and hand-shaking earlier. He stretched it, trying to get the kinks out, but his jacket restricted his movements and still carried the mottled scents of dozens of perfumes. Grimacing, he shrugged out of it, but still felt uncomfortable, like the scents had soaked through the material and were spreading over his skin. He threw it over the trash can and jerked at his tie on the way to the bathroom. Quickly stripping off his clothes, he left them in a pile outside the door to throw out later.

Yuki stood under the hot spray until the water and steam soothed the tension from his body and he felt cleansed from the outside all the way in. He was roused from drowsily contemplating the grout between the shower tiles by a knock at the door. Shutting off the water, he swiftly dried off and ambled lazily to answer the door. His mood was mellow enough so that when the delivery boy gaped at the sight of the half-naked towel-clad writer, Yuki merely smirked and took his food, snapping his fingers in the boy's red face before shutting the door.

The kettle began whistling, so he took his food to the kitchen and turned the burner off. He reached up toward the cabinet again when the scent of the Italian sauce wafted into his nostrils and changed his mind. Double Dark Roast Coffee and Meatballs Marinara did not mix well in his opinion. Instead, he grabbed another couple of beers, dished out his food and sat down to eat, his mind playing around with ideas of poisonings, being stabbed with ivory chopsticks, or maybe psychotic delivery boys. He ate faster as the ideas churned, eager to finish and get back to his story.

OXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Shuichi looked up into Ryuichi curious blue eyes and immediately launched himself at his idol with a mournful cry. Hikari gasped as the two singers tumbled to the floor and quickly stepped forward, concerned they might hurt themselves, but landing on the cold, hard floor didn't seem to have fazed either of them. Even Kumagoro survived the glomp and managed to land in an adorable flop on Ryuichi's shoulder.

Ryuichi pet his young friend tenderly on the head while Shuichi wailed his current disaster into the ruffles of his shirt. He glanced up at Hikari and they shook their heads in sympathy over the boy's dilemma.

"Ryu-chan, there you are!" Tatsuha sauntered into the room with a wide grin, a can of soda in each hand. "I had to go to the fifth floor, but I found a strawberry-chocolate soda for you." He smiled down at his lover in what he assumed was another of Shuichi's fangirly-idol-glomps, but his smile faded when Shuichi blinked up at him with large, sad eyes. "Shuichi?"

Ryuichi gave Shuichi one last pat on his head and quickly pulled him to his feet. Turning the full force of his serious eyes on Tatsuha, he placed a hand on his young lover's chest. "We must help him, Tat-chan. Shuichi must smile again."

Tatsuha was struck absolutely still by the intensity of those eyes. His pulse immediately pounded in his ears and the air was suddenly thin in his lungs, making him slightly dizzy. His mouth worked, trying to form words, but all that came out was a weak wheeze, so instead he gulped loudly and nodded his head.

Ryuichi positively beamed at him and Tatsuha felt faint. He snapped to attention when the sodas can began slipping from his suddenly sweaty palms and he juggled them clumsily to keep from dropping them. Ryucihi plucked the cans deftly from his hands and passed them to Hikari, then plucked Kumagoro off his shoulder and pressed the bunny into Shuichi's hands. He then quickly grabbed Tatsuha's hand and started pulling him out the door.

"Wait!" Shuichi cried out. "What are you going to do?"

Ryuichi giggled and shook his head. "No time to explain." His eyes gleamed with purpose and the promise of fun, "Trust me, Shuichi-kun."

Confused, anxious, but unable to deny his idol anything, Shuichi could only nod.

Ryuichi gave a bright laugh, "Don't let Kuma drink too much soda, he'll get a tummy ache!" With a wink and a tug, Ryuichi pulled a starry-eyed Tatsuha out the door.

ShuichI looked at Hikari. Hikari looked at Shuichi, then at the cold sodas in her hands. Shuichi looked down at Kuma and double-blinked. The pink plushie's head was flopped at such an angle that the rabbit was staring at the soda with what looked like an eager grin.


	6. Someone Arrives

Yuki had just finished murdering his heroine with a golden chopstick through the heart and was just about to have her foolish lover discover her body when a knock at the door snapped his concentration. Frowning, he ignored the sound and reached for his coffee. His hand met empty air where his cup should have been. Damn. He grabbed a cigarette and lit it, sucking the nicotine deep into his system. More knocking.

Quick taps on his computer saved his work, then he headed for the kitchen. Now a fist pounded on the door, followed by a muffled "Yuki! C'mon, aniki, I know you're home!"

Yuki paused and pressed a hand against the ominous twinge of pain in his temple. The pounding and pleading from the door was beginning to echo in his brain and he knew that damned brother of his wouldn't leave until he at least opened the door.

The moment he did, however, every sarcastic, scathing remark he'd prepared to make blanked from his brain and he had to clamp his jaw tight to keep it from dropping and losing his cigarette. He was seeing things. His caffeine-deprived brain had to be conjuring up this hallucination because no way did his brother actually bring that bright-eyed, bouncing, freakishly childlike pop idol to his home.

"Hello Yuki-san! Wow, Tat-chan, you would look good with blonde hair!"

Oh God, the hallucination was talking now. He slammed the door, but it caught on his brother's boot.

"Ow! Wait, Eiri, wait!" Tatsuha grunted and pushed back at the door his brother was desperately trying to close.

"Ooh, Yuki-san you have nice place. Very shiny! That picture is so colorful!"

Yuki whirled around, staring slack jawed at the singer suddenly bouncing around his living room. What-? How-?

The door flew open behind him and Tatsuha nimbly picked up the fallen cigarette before it burned his brother's precious wood floor. He watched with part amusement at Ryuichi's antics and part trepidation at the scowl on his brother's face that was becoming rather scary.

"Tatsuha…" Yuki growled low in his throat.

Tatsuha felt a chill run down his neck and took a careful step away. "Listen, Eiri, I—"

"Is this the kitchen? Hey, look Tat-chan, Yuki-san and I have the same coffee pot! This is—"

** _CRASH!_ **

Silence.

No one moved, no one breathed for a very long moment. Then…

"Oops!" Ryuichi exclaimed brightly from the kitchen.

Tatsuha winced and glanced over at his brother. Uh oh, his left eye was twitching. Bad sign. Very bad sign.

Yuki pressed a shaking hand to his left temple, took a deep breath and said around clenched teeth, "You have five seconds to get that thing out of my house or someone will die."

Oh yeah, time to go. Tatsuha sprinted into the next room and grabbed his lover, knowing very well his brother was doing a mental countdown.

"Gomen nasai, Yuki-san! I will get you a new one right away. Come on Tat-chan, let's go shopping and find Yuki-san the shiniest coffee machine ever! Maybe a pink one with sparkles, or maybe—"

The door shut, cutting off the ear-piercing chatter. Yuki shoved his hands through his hair and took several of the deep cleansing breaths his therapist had taught him to help manage his migraine pain. When that didn't work he stumbled into the bathroom and almost ripped the door off the medicine cabinet to get to his pills. He swallowed them down with water from the sink, not wanting to go anywhere near the kitchen and see the condition of his coffee pot. He cursed his brother savagely and swore if anything pink and sparkly materialized in his kitchen, his brother would die. Slowly. Painfully. Hmm, there was an idea…

Grabbing his cellphone, he dialed and barked out an order to the shop down the street for five tall, black, dark roast coffees to be delivered immediately, then went back to his computer and set about poisoning his foolish hero's asinine brother.


	7. Someone Sneaks

Hikari waited around the corner from Seguchi Tohma's office, nervously gripping the leather folder in her hands. The folder contained one very important document.

She looked up sharply when she heard Sakano-san's footsteps coming from down the hall and smiled to herself. She would recognize that hurried shuffle anywhere and the sound always made her heart beat a little faster. She listened as he said goodnight to Seguchi-san's secretary and waited until she heard the woman's heels clicking down the hallway in the opposite direction.

Slipping quickly into the office, she shut the door behind her and silently watched him as he tidied up the president's desk. Quick, efficient hands untangled a phone cord here, polished a picture frame there, making sure it was tilted at a precise angle. Pens were tested for ink, pencils sharpened to perfect points and all placed back in their container, which was shifted one centimeter to the right. He was oblivious to her presence by the door as he tidied and dusted and generally puttered around the office. It occurred to her that she'd never seen him so relaxed and the slight smile on his face made her wonder if he was humming a tune in his mind as she often did when absorbed in the details of an enjoyable task. A light, fluttery feeling came over her and she hugged the folder tightly to her chest. She'd never imagined he could be so meticulous and knowing they shared something so basic in their nature delighted her.

As he sorted and filed away some papers, she blinked and mentally shook herself out of her musings. She gently cleared her throat and bit back a grin when he jumped and the papers went flying. "Kimura-san, what are you doing here?"

Softly apologizing, she helped him gather them up. He took the papers she handed him and fumbled as he tried to shuffle them back into order.

"I know I should not be here, but I needed to speak to you. Wait, please, before you put those away." Hikari opened her folder and showed him the document inside. "I have spoken to the president of the Atsui company and have made an arrangement with him. If Seguchi-san will sign this agreement for Bad Luck to play at his company gala in April, and promise front row tickets for his two daughters for any concert in the foreseeable future, then he will put a special rush on the order."

Sakano paled and began to blink rapidly. "Bu-but-but, how-? When-? And tickets? Who-?"

Hikari set her folder down and tugged his sleeves down before he could start pulling at his hair. "I have that all arranged, Sakano-san. If you can schedule Bad Luck's appearances around the date of the gala, I am certain they will agree to a one-night performance. And I have arranged for the president, Soto-san, to send any ticket requests directly to you, as you are their manager."

Sweat began to bead on his forehead as looked down at the open folder and shook his head, "But the signature, Kimura-san…"

Hikari nodded, "You have a stack of papers ready for Seguchi-san to sign every morning. If we slip it in among the larger contracts and rush him a little, it may be sufficient distraction to get his signature."

Sakano slumped, "I don't see how this can work. If anything goes wrong... if Seguchi-san should find out-"

Hikari reached up and sharply pulled down on his tie, bringing his face downs to hers.

"I am aware of the risks if we do this, Sakano-san, but think of the risks if we do not." Her eyes were serious, her voice calm as she began to explain. "If we cannot get this mug for Shindo-san, he will broken-hearted, he will not be able to write or sing, Bad Luck will decline and you will be fired as their manager. This is our best chance of saving Bad Luck and your career. We can do this, Sakano-san."

Sakano's eyes began to clear listening to Hikiari's calm logic, her confidence helping to build his own. He blinked rapidly, suddenly realizing how close her face was to his and the thought of how lovely her eyes were made his face burn. He swallowed thickly and managed to nod his head. Hikari smiled up at him and he had to lock his knees to keep them from buckling.

Hikari released his tie and smoothed it down his chest with a sweep of her hand. Turning to the desk, she took the document from her folder and looked through the stack of papers he'd prepared and flipped through them to find an appropriate contract to slip it into.

"I think this construction contract for the new wing of sound booths will do nicely. What do you think?" She looked back and noticed he hadn't moved, just stood there with a hand pressed against his tie. "Sakano-san?"

Sakano snapped to attention and leaned over to see the contract she mentioned and nodded, not trusting his voice and praying his nose wouldn't start to bleed. He was relieved when she just nodded back and swiftly put the papers into a neat stack on the corner of the desk. That done, they started to leave the office, but stopped in their tracks when they saw the doorknob rattle and turn from the outside.

Fear of being caught where she had no business being and knowing all her plans were about to be ruined froze Hikari to the point where she couldn't move or think. Sakano's panic at the very same thoughts, however, spurred him into action. As the door swung open, he did the only thing he could think of. He grabbed Hikari by her shoulders, pulled her into his arms and kissed her.


End file.
